Guild Wars 2

I have a new Elementalist (exotics only with 1 ascended ring, so far.) It will only be used in WvW. I am new to WvW and not in a guild. Though I got my Season 1 key (and learned a lot in the process) I still consider myself brand new and hope you will consider that if my questions seem stupid.

1. If you are D/D and find yourself on top of a wall, with a larger opposing zerg below trying to get in, are you periodically jumping down (trying pick people off) and scurry back in alive? If not, what role are you playing up there?

2. If you are a D/D and find yourself below, with massive AOEs keeping your zerg at range, are you simply healing/reviving? Or what is your role?

In both of those scenarios I find I am often trying to get out of combat and swap in a staff so I can reach up or down and do more.

3. If you are a Staff Elementalist and get blindsided by an invisible hit/lock down, then use your one utility stun breaker— and find yourself locked/knocked again, what are your next steps if you want to fight? What are your next steps if you want to run?

4. Generally speaking, how does a Staff Elementalist (using no speed runes or swiftness extenders) keep from becoming straggle bait when the zerg rushes a great distance or starts to scatter. I am finding Air 4 and Lightening Flash not enough to keep up in those scenarios.

5. If you use Signet of Restoration and/or that trait that makes Cantrips provide regeneration, how much Healing Power are you using to make those work well for you?

Last, can anyone recommend a build (any weapons/traits/rune/sigil/gear combo) for a person who is torn between the range of the staff but the movement/action of D/D. It may not exist but I know very little about scepter and focus. I am fine with a kill role or a support role, as long as I have a lot to do.

Thanks in advance!!!

I don’t claim to be an expert, but with respect to your last inquiry I have found Scepter/Dagger to be a very fun combo (I only play WvW). It gives you range and some mobility. I just put up this thread with video about it: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/elementalist/WvW-Scepter-Dagger-Fresh-Air-gameplay/first#post3259123

The build information is in video description. I’m not the most skilled elementalist by any means but if you look at the skills I use during combat it can give you an idea. Also, as mentioned in the description, one key aspect of this build is utilizing the “fresh air” trait. Meaning you will be swapping back and forth between air attunement and the other attunements to get more lightning strikes off. Hope it helps you. =)

Thanks, Zedd, next time I’ll try not to write wall of text.

im still trying to figure out what kind of armour I should be using, let alone my strategy for fighting :\

1) You can’t in general burst down someone before you die. If you do die your #2 skill will generally bring you back safely (you can still be e.g. immobilized before you get away, so it’s not foolproof), but what’s the point, and why risk it? You are better off either getting onto the commander if there is one to stack up and do a group push, or running supply to build arrow carts.

2) I don’t understand the question here. You’ll need to rephrase. If you mean in open field combat with massive AoE trades between two zergs, now would be a good time to switch off D/D and go to Staff.

3) Nothing much you can do really if you don’t have a second stunbreaker. You can try attuning to Earth (if you have Elemental Attunement) or to Water (if you have Cleansing Wave + Healing Ripple).

4) Staff lets you maintain permanent Swiftness: Air #4 gives 10s, Glyph of Elemental Harmony gives another 10s, and using Arcane Wave in Air #5 gives you the last 10s. Fire #4 also lets you move quickly (just turn around first). So no excuses for getting left behind, especially if you also have Lightning Flash.

5) Staff is bad with Signet of Restoration. I’d generally use the Glyph, although you may prefer Ether Renewal. No idea about Healing Power.

6) Which build you choose should depend on what you want to do. If you’re running with zergs, then you should choose the Staff. If you roam a lot, then D/D would be better. Check out intothemists.com for example builds.

Have fun!

If you D/D with the classic build dont forget your scepter, and get comfartable running S/D if you find that your sitting back or ontop of a wall.

and ether renewal is always the right choice for healing skill.

#1: Grab siege, if not to your liking, summon fiery greatsword, depending on how heavily they’re bombing the choke you can as mentioned drop down, unload and get back in, make sure you’ve got at least two cantrips up. Furthermore skills like drake’s breath, burning speed, ring of fire, cone of cold and churning earth will hit THROUGH the gate.

#2: Fiery greatsword is the world’s best gate facerubber, summon it and share the love. Otherwise try and get out of combat and switch although I don’t enjoy doing this myself, usually I’ll move off into a scouting position, grab a ram if you have mastery, or do a supply run.

3#: Dependent on your build, such a pity they removed our stun breakers. Staff duelling takes major work and practise.

General advice would be use your cantrips, switch to air, drop #5 cc around yourself, #4 to break movement impair, #3 knockback the target, switch to fire, burning retreat (have your back facing the direction you want to go), about face (turn 180) pan camera or look back, cast #2 lava font, earth attune, #5 on single target, #4 in path of target, #3 if traited for aura boons or opponents are firing projectiles, pan camera forward, place #2 ahead of yourself, water attune, drop #3 on top of earth #2 for water field blast as you move over it (takes some practise and timing to land this combo while moving), dodge roll if you have Evasive Arcana, pan camera back, drop #4 + #2, back to air renew swiftness + lightning flash to gain distance, fiery greatsword if you have the time for the cast, #4 + #3 without a target selected to open the gap.

The above principles remain largely the same if you want to fight but you need to be more careful about the placement of your skills and combo fields as they’re easily avoided. Personally I run Ether Renewal so chose a safe time to use it or make sure you have stability up if you absolutely have to purge conditions.

#4: Again heavily dependent on how you’re traited, I run a minimum of 20 arcana + boon duration runes. If running glyph use it in air attunement for swiftness, don’t always default to air, rather go earth, drop eruption, air, drop static field on top and let the blast finisher go off, then #4, alternately slot arcane wave and blast finish static field. Furthermore burning retreat + swiftness is a massive gap opener, about face use it, about face and keep running, combined with lightning flash and fiery greatsword #4 and #3 you have decent tools for closing or opening distances, granted they’re poor compared to our pre-nerf d/d mobility. Also if traited for swiftness + fury on aura’s earth #3 can help to stack swiftness.

#5: I haven’t run SoR since Excala’s days sadly.

#6: 0/10/0/30/30 still seems to be the “go to” all around build for staff + d/d, if you want some flexibility you can drop 10 from water and put it where you like it most. If you’re comfortable not running Evasive Arcana you can drop another 10 from arcana. 0/20/10/20/20 has some interesting offensive or defensive traiting options.

*disclaimer: these are all my personal opinions.

Thanks for all the time on these answers. #2 was really the same question as #1 but in reverse. My team would be on the ground trying to bust into a keep while the enemy is up high, out of range, hitting us with seige.

I wasn’t using Ether to heal so didn’t have the swiftness on the heal and wasn’t using the reverse fire spell which I didn’t even think of. Will do that if I ever go back to staff.

Love the through the door stuff. LOL

Lots of great advice and tips.

In the end I’ve made a D/D build that I really enjoy in any scenario. Thanks so much for the time you took to answer.